Posts Tagged ‘natural disasters’

What happens when disaster aid organizations are destroyed?

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Cullman-Alabama-EMS.jpeg
(photo credit: southerntabitha)

We’ve written before about how to give smart in the wake of a disaster, and unfortunately the situation just keeps coming up. While not as devastating as the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in April, the string of tornadoes that tore up the American South last week has left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.

One of the pieces of advice we passed on is to stay thoughtful when you’re practicing “crisis philanthropy.” One way to do that is to focus your giving on organizations with a local presence in the affected area. But what if there are none left?

That isn’t exactly the situation in Tuscaloosa, but the Salvation Army – a local charity giant – lost two buildings in the tornado, both of which could have really helped with relief efforts. We thought this might be a good time to point out the differences between program costs and operational costs, which are the two types of expenses you’re funding when you write a check to your favorite charity.

  • - Program costs refer to money spent on the projects you hear about during fundraisers – feeding the poor, building temporary housing for flood victims. The exciting stuff.
  • - Operational costs (sometimes called overhead) refer to more boring stuff – the electric bill, the salary of the person who answers the phone, the new office downtown.

People tend to want their money to go to program costs because it makes them feel good about themselves. But in most cases, paying for operational costs is just as important. Who will administer lifesaving vaccinations if an organization can’t afford to pay clinic staff? And who knows how much more prepared local organizations could have been had they had the extra cash to spend on additional locations or a disaster preparedness program?

How the Stock Market Reacts to a Natural Disaster

Friday, March 18th, 2011


(photo credit: ehnmark)

After so much media coverage devoted to videos of water swallowing up cities, we were interested to see this Reuters article from Monday about the financial implications of Japan’s bad luck.

The stock market is operating under very rare conditions, and some of the news was really surprising. For example, this is the worst hit the market has taken in two years… but it’s the worst natural disaster the country has ever seen. Why didn’t the markets totally crash?

As a matter of fact, some stocks and sectors were actually doing very well on Monday. Here are some interesting facts from the report:

  • - The construction industry was booming, probably because demand for rebuilding will soon be enormous.
  • - Stock in the company that owns one of the nuclear power plants in danger of meltdown – Tokyo Electric Power – dropped 24% almost immediately.
  • - The technology sector, once one of Japan’s strongest, took a nosedive.
  • - Investors were selling off their long-term bonds* (20 years or more), which means that they’re not confident Japan will be able to repay their bond debts in the future.
  • - The earthquake happened on Friday. By Monday, the Bank of Japan was ready to announce that it would inject 15 trillion yen (about $187 billion) into the economy to support it during the crisis. (Kind of like the U.S. Treasury has been doing here to keep the economy afloat during the recession.)
  • - This vote of confidence inspired investors to purchase more short-term bonds (10 years or less).

This just goes to show you that changes in the stock market are all about what investors predict. These predictions can be rational or irrational, but the speculation never ends – no matter what happens.

A bond is a kind of debt sold by governments and corporations to raise money. Basically, when you buy a bond, you’re buying the seller’s promise to pay you back (usually with a fixed interest rate) on a predetermined date.

Smart Philanthropy in the Wake of a Disaster

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011


(photo credit: Kei!)

When something really bad happens in the world, we all feel hurt. And helping each other out is one of the best ways to alleviate that pain. But that common sense advice about not shopping when you’re hungry and not investing when you’re anxious also applies to giving.

Saundra Schimmelpfennig at the Chronicle of Philanthropy shared some advice on how to give smart in an urgent time of need. She encourages “disaster philanthropists” to think carefully before pledging their money to an emotionally compelling cause.

Here are some of her points that we think are especially important:

  • Make sure the organization you’re donating to actually has permission to operate in the affected area. (This is a no-brainer, but some governments refuse or limit access to foreign aid organizations.)
  • Consider giving to organizations that were operating successfully in-country before the disaster. They may have more resources and connections than many of the big-name international nonprofits.
  • Don’t be sucked in by projects that tug at your heartstrings. Sure, donating to an animal shelter seems like the natural thing to do after seeing this picture, but does directing your resources there really address the most critical needs on the ground?
  • Give aid organizations the freedom to choose what your donation pays for. They know better than you what the most important projects are.
  • Don’t forget about the disaster as soon as the news outlets do. Most of the expense and hard work happens after the initial emergency relief efforts end. Rebuilding houses, schools, communities, and lives can take years. Your donation will mean just as much in six months as it does today.

Ready to make an impact? Text a friend and ask them to donate with you. With two researchers on the job, you can probably find a perfect organization – and double your donation in the process!

Brazil’s Carnival Burns Up… Literally

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

“(Reuters) – A large fire swept through Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival center on Monday, destroying thousands of costumes and floats and throwing preparations for Brazil’s annual festival of hedonism into chaos.”

Best Quote

“The only thing that didn’t burn was our desire to parade.” – Helinho de Oliveira

What do you think?

Can you imagine how much money this cost the people of Brazil? There’s the cost of costumes and floats, plus the time and labor it took to make them, there’s the destruction of people’s property and belongings (including wallets full of cash and credit cards), and then there’s the big event… Will there be as many tourists and money-spending revelers this year?